Name Of UMD’s New Hockey League Announced

More details are being unveiled on the new conference our UMD Bulldogs are ready to join.

A new Division I men's hockey conference, officially announced Saturday, officially got a name Wednesday at a joint press conference with six new member schools that will open play in 2013-14.

Five members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association -- Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College and Nebraska-Omaha -- will join Miami University of Oxford, Ohio, of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

The announcement was made at Penrose House hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. Athletic directors and coaches of the six schools attended the press conference.

UMD athletic director Bob Nielson said the Bulldogs had been in discussions about a new league "for months" but said it was just the last two months that the pace quickened. He said it was a "collaborative" effort and didn't specify if there was any school or individual making invitations to join the new league.

Staying the on same recruiting level as the new Big Ten Conference hockey league was of consideration in forming the the NCHC, said Sandelin.

"Hopefully this will open more doors for us and open talent pools that we weren't part of," said Sandelin.